Facility Management - Turning the Corner with BIM

Facility management is an industry with its share of challenges. The tools and processes used have supported the activities of the various owners and managers to date; however, there are noticeable trends that would suggest that these processes are not always the most efficient. Owners and managers today are beginning to recognize the need for the most accurate and reliable information available for their building in order to make strategic decisions. This is especially true when managing multiple buildings or handling very complex projects. Knowing the possible outcome of certain decisions beforehand would be considered invaluable.  It is at this point that many recognize and acknowledge the numerous limitations in the tools and processes currently utilized in operations. Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is an emerging phenomenon in the Facility Management (FM) industry, and it signals a possible solution to some of the issues of consolidating building data for maintenance and management, if incorporated and utilized effectively. The challenge is therefore to evaluate and identify the merits of each system based on the type of information that is required and which system or tool can deliver.